This is Stanley Kubrick, known as one of the greatest directors in the history of film, he has made many well known movies such as The Shining, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Full metal Jacket, and Barry Lyndon. He started his career with his debut feature length film “Fear and Desire” which is an anti war movie that came out in 1952. It was first shown at the Venice Film Festival in August 1952 under the title “Shape of Fear” but ended up getting changed. His highest grossing and most successful film of his career is “Eyes Wide Shut” starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, while also being one of his most controversial movies. He won the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics award for the film, while Nicole Kidman won the Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actress for her role.
His most award winning film was “2001: A Space Odyssey” which won him 18 awards and 14 nominations including a handful of BAFTA awards and the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. This film is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential films ever made and even the best Science fiction movie ever made.
From people a part of the New Hollywood film-making wave they say his films are “among the most important contributions to world cinema in the twentieth century.” A lot of other very big and important directors including, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Wes Anderson, George Lucas, James Cameron, Terry Gilliam, the Coen brothers, Ridley Scott, and George A. Romero, have cited Kubrick as a source of inspiration for their work. Even artists in other works have paid homage to him such as pop singer Lady Gaga whose concerts have included the dialogue, costumes, and music from his film “A Clockwork Orange”.
He started his film career with short films from years 1951-1953 with his first being a documentary about boxer Walter Cartier who he wrote about a year prior when he worked for Look magazine, he decided on the name “Day of the Fight”, according to Paul Duncan he called the film “remarkably accomplished for a first film” this is when Kubrick quit his job at the magazine company to dedicate to film. He would go around New York visiting accomplished filmmakers to ask questions to help with his work which gave him confidence at the time because he had recalled seeing a lot of bad movies saying “I don’t know a goddamn thing about movies, but I know I can make a better film than that.” This made him a great filmmaker having not known a whole lot about film but learning more and more as he started becoming more dedicated to the career. Along with becoming dedicated to film he was previously a professional photographer and was known for his storytelling in his photos which is why he is very good with showing his characters emotions in his films.
Another huge milestone for him is when he got the opportunity to direct the film “Spartacus” he was hired for a reported $150,000 fee to take over direction, this was his biggest film yet with a cast of over 10,000 and a budget of $6 million. At the time this was the most expensive film ever made in America and Kubrick was the youngest director in Hollywood to make an epic at the age of 31, this is what convinced him that he could achieve anything. A lot of people can argue that he is the greatest director of all time, which can never be a wrong answer because his achievements and milestones surpass most other directors and he will forever be remembered in this side of the Hollywood industry.
The Hoot 
Leave a comment